Chapter Sixty-Three: Visiting the Gao Family

Drifting in a small boat across the lotus pond, Gu Li quickly realized that, even with fish food in hand, not a single fish was in sight!

Gu Li was perplexed. What happened?

The answer revealed itself soon enough. On the shore stood a plump little figure.

When did this little girl get here?

Fubao was sitting by the bank, nibbling on a piece of cake she had stashed away for herself. She didn’t notice Gu Li, but her eyes landed on a very familiar bighead carp!

The bighead carp whimpered in its heart, “She doesn’t recognize me anymore!”

Fubao poked the bighead carp. “Hey, little chubby one, you really ought to eat less. Look at you, squishing all your sisters to the side!”

The chubby fish protested, “No!”

“Have you seen Brother Gu Li? I’ve been looking for him forever,” Fubao said, poking the bighead carp again.

The bighead carp thought, “Oh, you mean that fool in the boat with the fishing rod?”

“If you’re going to fish, at least put some bait on the hook! No fish wants to nibble on a bare hook!”

Gu Li, finally spotting such a crowd of fish, grew excited and paddled his boat energetically toward the shore.

“Grandpa, this fishing hook is useless! I can’t catch a single fish!” he exclaimed.

Gu Father was speechless: “Have you ever seen anyone fish without using any bait?”

Gu Li leapt ashore. He had barely managed to call out Fubao’s name when—

“Hiccup—!” A bird’s sudden cry interrupted, as a certain feathered creature landed right between the two children.

“Duck!” Fubao was so delighted to see the duck that she forgot everything else.

Gu Li, who was now staring straight at the duck’s backside, grumbled, “Where did this bird come from?”

He glanced at the now fishless pond’s edge and felt like bursting into tears.

After finally sending the grand duck on its way, Fubao splashed at the water and asked curiously, “Brother Li, what were you doing out there on the pond?”

Gu Li looked a bit embarrassed. “Looking for fish.”

“Looking for fish?” Fubao glanced at the pond’s edge, which, now that the duck was gone, was teeming with fish again. She was puzzled—if you’re looking for fish, shouldn’t you just go into the pond?

Gu Li was speechless. Did she think everyone was like her?

“I’m searching for a kind of fish that can fly! Its wings are pure white, as fine as silkworm silk, and its scales shimmer in every color of the rainbow!” Gu Li’s eyes shone with longing.

“How could there be fish like that, Brother Gu Li? Those only exist in dreams!” Fubao replied. In fact, she’d dreamed of just such a fish last night!

Gu Li felt disbelieved. “You don’t believe me, do you?” he muttered, pouting.

Fubao wondered—was that what she meant?

“Never mind if you don’t believe me. Oh, by the way, my aunt is going to the Gao family to visit Miss Gao later. Let’s go together,” Gu Li said, handing his fishing rod to a servant as he remembered his aunt’s plans for the day and thought it would be fun to tag along.

“You mean that strange-looking young lady?” Fubao had also heard of Miss Gao—it seemed she had fallen ill!

Gu Li replied, “She’s only sick, that’s all.”

“Shall we go?”

“Let’s!”

The two quickly made up their minds.

The Gao family was, after all, business partners with Gu Li’s father, and Gu Xiaoxiao was acquainted with Gao Yuting. A visit was only natural. As for the two little tagalongs, they were simply there for the excitement.

When Gu Li finally met the legendary Miss Gao—the very one whose involvement with the Deng family’s scandal had caused the collapse of their shop—he was so startled by her appearance that he instinctively covered Fubao’s eyes from behind, worried the child would be frightened.

Fubao pouted in protest. She hated not being able to see anything.

Madam Gu, too, was shocked by Miss Gao’s appearance. The poor child had truly suffered.

Gao Yuting’s misfortune was considerable. She’d overheard a friend say that the rouge sold at the Lin family’s shop was inferior—one lady had been disfigured after using it. Terrified, she changed her mind and hurried instead to the Deng family’s shop. The shopkeeper there praised their rouge to the skies, so she bought several boxes. Who could have guessed that, upon returning home, she would end up like this!

Her face was swollen and covered in large blisters; even her lips were grotesquely puffed up, the blisters crowding her eyes shut.

Now, even though the Deng family’s shop had been ruined, what good did that do her? Her face was ruined forever!

Miss Gao was left with nothing but tears.